Presentation given by Janine Woodward-Grant & Alex Mecklenberg to the TechSoup Connect London on the theme of culture change around digital projects in the not for profit sector, specifically looking at team dynamics and team roles

1. How to design healthy team dynamics to
deliver successful digital projects
March 5th 2024

2. We've changed our
name, but not our
focus...
We bring people working
in non profits and Tech
for Good together, to
share & learn from each
other
@TSC_London
Welcome to TechSoup Connect London Chapter
techsoup-connect-london
https://events.techsoup.org/techsoup-
connect-london-chapter/

3. TechSoup Connect London Organisers

4. Our agenda
● Networking
● Janine Woodward-Grant : What is the role of ‘people and culture’ in
a digital project
● Alex Mecklenburg: How to design healthy team dynamics to
deliver successful digital projects
● Community shout outs
● Ideas for future sessions

5. “We are really small and so each member of the team may
have a number of roles, and sometimes roles need to be
shared due to part time working. It will be interesting to
learn more.”

6. “Practical exercises that can be applied in my team and
how to be clear about expectations etc when one person
has multiple roles as well as their relationships to other
team members.”

7. Some networking
● Exchange a positive example of where roles were clearly
defined and this led to amazing collaboration in your team
OR
● Share an example of a challenging situation where roles
weren’t clearly defined and this became problematic

8. New Dynamics
Moving towards a more digital culture at
The Carers’ Centre
Janine Woodward-Grant

9. Our Recipe
• A new way of thinking
• A new way of engaging with each other
• A new set of tools

10. “No man is an island”

11. Curiosity is key

12. It felt a lot like this…..

13. And also like this…..

14. The Challenges
• The day job
• Everyone is on their own journey
• Transformation speed

15. How to design healthy team dynamics to
deliver successful digital projects.

16. A practical work session to help
teams get passionate about
team roles & relationships

17. Hello.

18. Alexandra Mecklenburg
Creative Consultant and Change Coach
Co-founder of the Dot Project
Co-founder of Consequential CIC
Co-founder of Truth & Spectacle
alex@dotproject.coop

19. Messy human
relationships
Collective creativity
Transformational
technology

20. For the next 45 min we will explore how to help teams to:
● understand the function of relationship structures for
providing stability to relationship systems of all kinds.
● recognise the importance of being able to practically
co-design, monitor and continuously adjust these
structures

21. For teams to evolve together, they need to create
collective awareness of how they operate.
For this to happen they need support in a role of the
‘change holder’ is to ‘reveal the team to itself’.
Then teams can adjust themselves (and ask for support
where needed)

22. Effective roles are critical to the smooth functioning of
relationship systems.
They ensure that the important tasks of relationship are
carried out efficiently and create clarity about who is
doing what.

23. Roles become problematic when they become rigid or
burdensome. If I, or others, confuse me with my role, I
become locked within a stifling set of expectations.

24. 2 guiding principles

25. Roles are not people

26. Photo by Charles Etoroma on Unsplash

27. Roles belong to the system,
not to the individual

29. 3 role sets

30. Functional roles

31. Relational roles

32. Relational Roles - Example Collection
The mover - they are the ones who initiate action for the team.
The supporter - they take a stand and get behind the idea, opinion, plan, etc
The opposer - they provide a check and balance for the team
The observer - they maintain a higher-level perspective and keep the bigger picture in
mind.
The carer - they are taking responsibility for the team health and the health of individuals
The sense maker - they connect, pattern spot and keep the bigger picture in mind
The protector - they protect the team/org, ensure governance and assess risk critically
The challenger - they push the team to think further
The storyteller - they bring experiences to life, create shared stories, make things tangible
The motivator - they are the ones that motivate and cheer lead
The visionary - they have a vision and invite the team to see and understand that vision
The shaper - they take ideas, initiatives, projects and form them to make them actionable
The creator
The executor
The analyser
The finisher

33. Ghost roles

34. Reflect on your own functional role.
- which are relational roles that people might
associate with your functional role?
- Where has that been helpful?
- Has it also been unhelpful?
3 min

35. Role Watch Outs

36. Role confusion
Role exhaustion
Role preference
Role shift
Poorly occupied roles

37. Role confusion

38. Role exhaustion

39. Role preferences

40. Role shifts

41. Poorly occupied roles

42. Reflect on your experience in teams.
- Have you ever witnessed how any of these
watchouts created tension?
- How did you manage this?
3 min

43. Tools

44. Project/role mapping - build awareness

45. Which Roles
Functional /relational
Which Roles
Functional /relational
Which Roles
Functional /relational
Which Roles
Functional /relational
Which Roles
Functional /relational

46. What
relational roles
are needed by the
team?
What do you need to
monitor collectively?
a new project
kicks off
The team is
exhausted
the strategy has
changed
People are
leaving
lots of activities
everywhere

47. Breakout Groups:
Look at the team graph on the next page
and discuss as a group the two questions
on the graph:
7 min

48. Collective Debrief
5 min

49. Role canvas - plan
Shared roles - exercise

51. Roles & Responsibilities

52. Changing hats - development and growth

54. What/who is haunting you….

55. ‘Who is haunting you’ explorations
- explore
- visualise
- call it

56. JD on google docs - visibility and iteration

57. Summary

58. ● Teams understand the roles that are needed in the system
● Teams can design for clarity rather than rigidity
● Teams don’t confuse people with their role, which will avoid team
members become locked within a stifling set of expectations.
● Teams are able to talk about ‘what is haunting them’ in a
productive, open way
● Team members can grow by stepping into different relational
roles

59. BE AMAZING
alex@dotproject.coop

60. Community Shout Outs
Tell us about:
● events,
● resources,
● networks
● something about you
● or anything….
that’s helpful for this
community

61. Ideas for future meetups
● What should our next
session be?
● Do you want to join
us in planning it?

62. Wrap up / further networking
● Feedback survey
● Please stay on if you have further feedback, questions,
ideas